Chapter 2

Day Two - Sunday

Amber woke up with a strangers arm draped over her chest. She tried to clear the cobwebs from her head and then realized who it was. It was Todd. They had a marathon session of fucking the night before and had both fallen asleep afterwards. Amber swore when she realized it was already the morning with the sunshine streaming through the patio door. Britney had nowhere to sleep the night before. She was going to be pissed.

"Get up," demanded Amber as she pushed Todd's arm off of her. "We fell asleep last night. You were supposed to leave."

Todd grunted and then turned on his side.

"Wake up!" yelled Amber, shaking the naked man.

Todd rubbed his eyes and then sat up in the bed. Amber grabbed the blanket and covered herself with it.

"You were great last night," said Todd, still half asleep.

"Yeah, yeah. Just get dressed and get out. My roommate is probably sleeping outside the door right now."

"Fine," mumbled Todd. "You don't have to be a bitch."

Todd put on his underwear and then his shorts and then pulled his t-shirt on over his head. By then, Amber was up, with a blanket wrapped around her, and practically pushing Todd out into the hallway, shoes in hand. When Todd was out, Amber looked out in the hallway. Britney was nowhere to be seen. Amber went back in to the room and sat on the bed, letting the blanket fall away. She tried turning on the TV to see if it would make her worry less. It wasn't doing her any good. After twenty minutes she heard the door being keyed and then it opened. Amber bounded from the bed and ran up to Britney. It didn't matter to her that she was still buck naked and that there was dry cum on her leg.

"I'm so sorry Brit," exclaimed Amber, sobbing.

"Do you know where I slept last night?" asked Britney, seething with anger.

"No?" answered Amber timidly.

"By the pool on the aft side of the ship," said Britney matter-of-factly.

"God, I'm sorry, Brit. We just got into things and then the next thing I know, I'm waking up. I didn't mean to put you out."

Britney's expression softened a bit. "We need to come up with a way that we can better share this room."

"I know," said Amber. "I'll make sure to clear things through you from now on."

"Okay."

"So, how was the date last night?" asked Amber, anxious to change the subject.

"Don't ask," said Britney. She suddenly looked dejected.

"He was another asshole?"

Britney shook her head. "Quite the opposite. He's nothing but a gentleman."

"So, what's wrong with that?"

"You remember the talks we had? You know, after Frank?"

Amber remembered Frank all to well. Frank had put Britney in the hospital from his abuse. Britney dropped her entire life for a month and spent time with Amber, trying to get her back on track.

"Yeah?"

"Remember how you said not to compromise anymore?"

Britney nodded.

"I didn't compromise. He sees his wife in me. He doesn't see me. I can't accept that."

A rush of pride swelled through Amber as she realized that probably for the first time in Britney's life, she had turned down a man that was interested in her because it was against her best interests.

"Can I hug you?" asked Amber, suddenly aware again of her nudity and especially the smell of sex that permeated around her.

Britney nodded and then smiled weakly.

Amber hugged Britney, letting her feel all the pride she had for her.

"Do you want to move tables in the dining room?" asked Amber after they broke their hug.

Britney shook her head. "He probably won't even show up, anyways. He's too beat up about his late wife."

"You still have a crush on him," observed Amber with a grin.

"A little," said Britney with a giggle.

"Just be careful if he does show up," said Amber. "I'm gonna wash up and go get some breakfast. You want to come along?"

"Nah, I'm gonna hang around here for a bit."

"Okay," said Amber. "Just don't sit around here all day and mope. Otherwise I'm gonna have to come back here and make you have fun."

"I might like that," said Britney with a wide smile. Amber shook her head, suddenly realizing her intents. She couldn't let that happen again.

Dave was in a funk when he woke up. He had slipped back into his deep depression after Britney left him hanging in the bar the night before. He woke up with a new reason to be depressed though. He was depressed because he was sick of being depressed. He knew he had to get his life back on track and start living. Having Britney walk out on him the night before didn't do much to bolster his confidence in getting that life back on track.

Britney was right though. He was primarily interested in her because of her resemblance to Lisa. Britney had him dead to rights and there was nothing he could have said to stop her. The problem was that he was still intrigued by this woman. For the brief moments that he was with her he felt alive again. He wanted that feeling back more than anything.

After going through his morning shit, shower, and shave, Dave trudged out to the Lido deck and grabbed a plate of food from the outdoor buffet. Eggs, bacon and toast were all he could stomach at the time. He grabbed some orange juice from a Ukrainian woman pushing around a drink cart and then settled back in his chair to look out at the passing ocean. The ship was in the middle of the ocean. There was no land in site anywhere. Suddenly, Dave felt the familiar twinges of being alone. He hated being alone. Dave was a people person before Lisa left his life. Now all he did was shut people out of his life.

Dave looked out over the tables scattered around the Lido deck buffet. Every table had at least two people. He was the only one that was alone. Many of the people at the tables were happy couples chattering away happily or snuggling in against one another, yet he was alone. Then Dave saw a gorgeous blonde in an extremely skimpy bikini walk to the buffet. He looked her up and down and realized who it was. It was Britney's friend Amber and she was alone!

Dave got up and walked over to Amber, interrupting her as she was taking a large spoonful of eggs.

"Amber!" exclaimed Dave.

"Oh, hi, Dave," said Amber with a smile.

"Where's Britney?" said Dave. He sounded desperate. Too desperate.

"She usually skips breakfast. She's still back in the cabin."

"You wouldn't be willing to tell me the cabin number?" said Dave, grasping for straws.

"Actually, no," said Amber as she grabbed a couple of croissants and placed them on top of the pile of food on her plate.

"Things didn't go well with us last night and I want to apologize to her," said Dave.

Amber looked around for an empty table and sighed. "Where are you sitting?"

Dave pointed to the table and then followed her to the table.

Amber took her time to arrange all of her food and then daintily unrolled her silverware from its napkin cocoon.

"Listen Dave, I'm gonna be really blunt with you," said Amber. "Britney is the best friend I have in the world. I have seen her go through a series of bad relationships with abusive men and people that don't love her for her. When she walked out on you last night she took a step in not repeating those mistakes. I don't want to have to pick up the pieces in another broken relationship of hers. She means too much to me."

"You're a really good friend protecting her like you are," said Dave with a hint of defeat in his voice.

"I would do anything for her," said Amber.

"You know she was right last night," said Dave.

Amber gave him a puzzled look as she shoved some eggs in her mouth.

"She said that I was attracted to her because of her resemblance to Lisa. She was right last night. Not today though. Today I'm attracted to her because I realized that when I'm with her I feel alive again."

Amber finished chewing on a piece of croissant and then cleared her throat in a ladylike fashion. "Dave, she's not a very strong person. She can't handle a relationship with someone that has tons of emotional baggage like you do."

"That's the thing. If I was with her, I would throw that baggage right over the side of the ship. I'm sick of being depressed. I'm sick of not living."

"Can I ask what happened when Lisa died?" said Amber.

Dave nodded and then began speaking. Amber carefully appraised Dave as he spoke about the accident in which Lisa was killed. He explained how he blamed her for so long for leaving him alone. Dave spoke with no emotion whatsoever. His tears for his lost bride were spent.

"I believe you when you say you are ready to move on," said Amber.

"Excuse me?"

"I asked you that question for a reason. I wanted to watch your reaction as you talked about the accident."

"What are you, a psychologist?" said Dave.

"Actually no, but I do have a degree in psychology."

Dave looked at her dumbfounded.

"Yes, blonde bimbo models like me actually find time to get smart sometimes," said Amber with a smile.

"Sorry," said Dave.

"It's okay," said Amber. "Not many people think that models can be smart. Britney is even smarter than I am, actually."

"Amber, like I said, I'm done grieving. I want to be the old Dave again. The old Dave was the life of the party. The old Dave was fun to be around. Yesterday, I wasn't fun to be with. Today is the start of the old Dave again."

"New lease on life, huh?"

"No, old lease, just renewing it."

Amber giggled and then put her hand on Dave's."

"Listen, she isn't gonna try to avoid me for the rest of the cruise now, is she?" asked Dave.

"Not if you go up to room 1105 and talk to her," said Amber with a huge smile.

"Thank you!" said Dave as he bolted from his chair.

"I appreciate this!" he yelled as he ran up the stairs to the panorama deck.

He quickly made his way inside and ran up another flight of stairs. When he got upstairs he looked around for cabins but there was only the Nautica Spa in front of him.

"How do I get to room 1105?" asked Dave of one of the girls working the spa.

"You came up the wrong set of stairs," said the girl. "You can cut through the gym and go out that way."

"Thanks," said Dave as he bolted through the Men's locker room and off to the gym.

It didn't take long for Dave to find the cabin. He paused in front of the door and then knocked timidly.

"Who is it?" said a voice on the other side of the door.

"It's Dave."

"Wait a minute please," said the voice, obviously it was Britney.

After a couple of minutes Britney opened the door dressed in a white terrycloth robe with the Carnival logo on it.

"Hi, Britney."

"What can I do for you?" said Britney with a hint of anger in her voice.

"I wanted to apologize to you," said Dave. "You were one hundred percent right last night. I was initially attracted to you because of your resemblance to Lisa."

"Thank you for apologizing, Dave. I can't say it's gonna change anything, though."

"I know," said Dave. "But, you see, that was last night. I realized something else this morning. I realized that when I'm with you, like right now, I feel alive again."

"Dave, you are basically saying the same thing I said last night. I don't want to be the one to pick up the pieces of your broken life. I'm sorry."

"Let me finish then," said Dave.

"Okay," said Britney. Her expression softened slightly.

"Britney, I'm sick of not living. I'm sick of being depressed. I want that part of life behind me and I want to be like the old Dave. The old Dave was fun to be around. The old Dave was the life of the party. The old Dave was loving and caring and would do anything for the woman he loved. I'm not asking for a commitment from you. I'm not asking for your love. Please, just spend some time with me on this cruise and get to know me better. Get to know the old Dave. The old Dave wants to know you better."

Britney stared at Dave in shock. When she recovered she wrapped her arms around Dave and hugged him tightly. Dave hesitated at first but then wrapped his arms around her. He relished her warmth from having just come out of the shower.

"I really need to get ready for the day," said Britney. "What are your plans for the day?"

"I really don't have any," said Dave. "I was just gonna wing it. Then I ran into Amber and she eventually told me how to find you."

"Oh, I'm impressed. You actually got my room number out of her? You didn't hurt her did you?"

Dave chuckled and shook his head. "No, she did give me the third degree though."

"I believe it," said Britney with a giggle. "Why don't I meet you down at the Capitol Bar in an hour?"

"Which bar is that?" said Dave, still unfamiliar with the ship.

"The one at the bottom of the Atrium. Level three."

"Okay," said Dave. "Drinks at nine in the morning at the Capitol Bar."

Britney giggled and then punched his arm playfully. "Get out of here you big galoot."

Dave smiled at her and then turned to return to his room. His heart was racing as he returned to his room, further proof that he was indeed alive.

"Do you mind if I join you?" said a tall, dark and handsome twenty-something man in a thick British accent. He wore nothing, save a blue Speedo suit and a pair of sandals.

"I guess not," said Amber casually. She was used to having men join her for meals like this. It was the reason she often dined alone. It was the best way to catch a man.

"I cannot believe someone as lovely as yourself is dining alone," said the man.

Amber had heard the line a million times but it never got old. Especially from a man as handsome as this one was. She casually appraised his body. His muscles rippled underneath his dark, tanned skin. A light covering of dark hair coated his chest. Then she looked at his face. His face was angular, manly in every way. She looked into his eyes and her breath caught in her throat. He had the most gorgeous baby blue eyes she had ever seen.

"I hope I'm not imposing on you by sitting here," said the man. His voice was rhythmic, inviting. Amber felt a tingle between her legs.

"My name is Amber," she stammered.

"John," said the man as he put down the silverware he just picked up and offered his hand.

Amber shook his hand lightly and resumed her staring at this Adonis in front of her.

"So what is a pretty girl like you doing here all alone?" said John casually.

"I'm here with my best friend actually. She just doesn't eat breakfast as a rule. What about you? I should be asking you the same question."

"I'm here with my daughter, actually," said John. "I just dropped her off at Camp Carnival for awhile."

Amber's heart sank a little. A man with a daughter wouldn't have time for her.

"How old is your daughter?"

"Eight," said John with a smile. "Cute little bugger too. Her name is Emily."

"That's a gorgeous name. What about her mother? Where is she?"

"She ran out six months after giving birth to her. Left me alone with her. I really don't mind except for the fact that she has to grow up without a mother. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Amber leaned back in her chair a bit, disarmed by the fact that she knew this wasn't going to go anywhere.

"Where are you from?" asked Amber, now making small talk. "You have a wonderful accent."

"England. Manchester to be exact."

"Never been to Manchester. Just London," said Amber.

"Do you travel a lot?" asked John.

Amber nodded. "I travel all the time for work. I'm a model."

"You definitely look like a model," said John with a smile. "What kind of modeling do you do?"

"Swimsuit and lingerie," said Amber with a coy smile.

"I do swimsuit as well," said John.

"You're a model, too?"

John nodded.

"Must be hard having an eight year old daughter; what with the hectic schedules and everything."

"She's with an au pair most of the time," said John sullenly.

"I would love to meet her sometime," said Amber absently.

"Sure, how about after breakfast?"

Amber was stunned at his outright acceptance of the invitation.

John tried to contain his laughter at Amber's look of shock.

"I thought you models ate lightly," said John indicating the three plates of food that Amber had polished off.

"Most of them do," said Amber. "I think I have a tapeworm or something because I can eat and eat and not gain an inch. Most models hate me for that."

"I definitely do," said John with a light-hearted chuckle. "I have to watch what I eat, too. Luckily I burn off a lot when I work out for four hours every day."

"I thought my one hour of working out every day was a lot," said Amber with a smile.

"You make me sick," said John with the warmest of smiles. His smile warmed Amber to the core of her soul.

Dave was absently twirling the straw in his drink and giving up hope that Britney was going to come down to see him. She was now almost a half hour late.

"You want another, Sir?" said the bartender.

Dave nodded and pushed his Sail and Sign card towards the bartender.

"Hey, good lookin'," said Britney from behind him. It had nearly startled him in the funk that he was in.

"I'd nearly given up on you," said Dave trying to appear angry but secretly elated that she had arrived.

"I'm so sorry. Never expect a model to be on time anywhere," said Britney with a grin. "We have to look just perfect when we go out in public, you know."

"You look perfect enough for me," said Dave. He knew it was a sappy comment but Britney deserved it.

"Take off this makeup and it's a different story," said Britney with a shrug.

"I saw you without it this morning and you looked wonderful," said Dave.

"Awww," purred Britney. She snuggled in next to Dave and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"What do you want to drink?" asked Dave.

"Little early to drink, isn't it?" said Britney.

"Like Alan Jackson said, 'it's five o'clock somewhere in the world.' Besides, you're on vacation."

"Well, if you put it that way I will have a Chardonnay."

Dave nodded to the bartender and got his attention. "Throw a Chardonnay on my card while you're at it."

"So what would you like to do today?" asked Britney. Her hand was now on Dave's shoulder. She was still standing behind him.

"I heard they are doing some kind of lecture at eleven on what to do and what not to do in Cozumel."

"You don't need to go to that," said Britney. "I've been there plenty of times. I think I'll make a pretty good guide."

"Are you propositioning me for a date tomorrow?" asked Dave.

Britney nodded her head feigning shyness.

"Well, I accept," said Dave. "I couldn't think of a better person to spend the day at Cozumel with."

"Well, maybe Lisa," said Britney shyly.

"We aren't mentioning her," said Dave with a smile. "This is just you and me and a lot of fun for the rest of the week."

"Oh, rest of the week, huh?" said Britney with a giggle. "That's mighty presumptuous of you."

"Hey, no pressures. If we just become friends that's fine with me. I just like spending time with you."

"I like spending time with you, too," said Britney. Then she smiled. "And you're really hot, too."

Dave blushed and then started laughing. He knew it was going to be one heck of a day no matter what happened.

"Hi Emily," said John as he approached his daughter. She was dressed in a teal tankini and had the same deep bronze tan as her father. Her hair was dark and in cute little curls that cascaded over her shoulders.

"Daddy?" said Emily. She was confused as to why her father was coming to get her so soon after dropping her off.

"I want you to meet someone, sweetie," said John. "This young lady is Amber. She wanted to meet you."

"Hi, Emily," said Amber. She offered her hand and Emily shook it. "It's nice to meet you. Your dad said lots of nice things about you."

"You're very pretty," said Emily. "Are you interested in my daddy?"

John chuckled nervously and then patted Emily on the head. "I'll be back at lunch time and we'll spend the rest of the day together pumpkin."